had
plenty of experience of the poor class of women in adjacent streets.

I found it not wise to go into the streets well dressed, so put on old
things, drew my hat over my eyes, assumed a slouching gait, and walked
along slowly, talking to the women till I found one I liked. Their
salutation usually was, "Come here dear,--come and see what I have got
to show you." "What?" "Such a nice cunt,--such a lot of hair." "Such a
fat arse," would say another. "How much will you let me for?" "What you
like,--come in." "I have not much money,--let me look at your cunt for
a shilling." "Come in then." Another would say, "Make it two, and I'll
strip." Many a cunt I have seen for a shilling. If I did not like it, I
went further on, or into the next street.

The street-doors were usually open, the women when dressed lolling just
inside them, with head out, but dropping back if they saw a likely man,
and addressing him as he passed in loud or low tones, according to their
cheek. If a woman I had had and expected to see was not visible, my way
was to step inside the passage, and listen at the door; if through the
key-hole I saw a light, or heard voices, there was business on. If in
the evening the outside shutters of the room were closed, I knew the
woman was engaged for a long time, perhaps her own man, a cab-man, a
costermonger, or some man of similar class was with her, if late. The
women there though about the same price, or cheaper, had quite different
manners from the Waterlow road ones. There were rarely more than one
woman in a house, and always on the ground floor, the landlord or lady
living in the back room, or upstairs. The rooms were mostly let to
working people, who seemed quiet enough.

Lots of children were about, who played in the streets at day, but
disappeared if quite young towards dusk. If a man stopped and talked
to a gay woman at the door, the children of the house usually went in,
always did if more than about ten years old. They drew back as if they
knew that a bargain for fucking was to be struck, and I believe knew
all about it. They were mostly girls who sleeping in the same room with
their parents, I dare say had seen the game of mother and father played
often enough. The bigger girls frisked about the streets of an evening
with boys of the same age, or not much older.

If a woman could get you to enter the passage, she almost pulled you
into her room. "Come in,--don't stand there,--come out of the way o